William ile



W. ILE.

ATTACHMENT nus. APPLICATION FILED 0C T. H. I SHB.

1,313,089, PatentcdAug.12,1919.

WITNESS 7/ I I I ,TT J

' HIS ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WILLIAM ILE, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

ATTACHMENT-PLUG.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 12, 1919- Application filed October 11, 1918}. Serial No. 257,684.

of the invention to provide a plug of this.

character in which one member carries binding tGIIIIlIIRlSiOI' electric current conductors having extended terminal contact fingers which are adapted to be inserted into openings in another plug member to contact with contact terminal fingers carried by said latter member in said openings in electrical communication with contacts carried by said member adapted to cooperate with the contacts of a socket, and the contact terminal fingers of the two members being arranged to lock the plug members togetherand to be released by a predetermined force, and to provide a plug of this clianacter in which the number of parts has been reduced and the assembling of the same has been simplified to produce a plug which is cheap to manufacture and novel in construction.

It is a further object of the invention to improve and simplify the construction of the plug member carrying the contacts to cooperate with a socket, whereby as such contacts are mounted upon or applied to the .plug member they will operate to place and hold contact terminal fingers carried by said plug member in contact therewith and firmly and rigidly clamp said fingers to the plug' member without the use of screws or the like.

In the drawing accompanying and 'forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a disassembled longitudinal sectional view of an electric attachment plug showing an embodiment of my invention and taken substantially on the line 11 of Fig. 2 looking in the-direction of the arrows.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View plug.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lower section of the plug shown in Fig. .1.

Fig. 4 is a view looking at the top of the middle section of the plug shown in Fig. 1.. Fig. 5 is a view looking at the bottom of of the the middle section of the plug shown in.

Fig. 1.

Figs. Gand 7 are front elevations of ter minal contact fingers carried by one of the plug members; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing a, modification of means 0 'to connect component parts of the plug.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts throughout the diiferent views of the drawing.

As stated it is the object of the invention to provide a separable plug, and in the embodlment of theinvention shown in Fig. 1

one member of the plu comprises a block of insulating material 7 llaving a circular recessed portion 8 in one end and an opening 9 axially .therethroug'h for the passage of electric current conductor wires. Circuit ter' lninal contacts 10, 11 carrying binding-screws 12, 13 are carried within the recessed portion 8 and secured therein by screws 14, although the terminal contacts may be embedded or molded directly in the material of the memher 7. These terminal contacts have terminal contact fingers 15, 16 extending therefrom in a direction parallel with the axis of said member, and each finger has a laterally projecting nib 17 18 stamped from the material of the fingers for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The other member of the plug consists of a block of insulating material 19 externally threaded with perforations or openings 20, 21 extending longitudinally 'ther'ethrough and preferably of rectangular shape in cross section. A portion of the lateral wall of the opening 21 is cut away to form a recess, as shown at 22, and the end of the block is formed with a recess 23 extending laterally' and inwardly from the end of the opening 20.

A terminal contact finger 24 is carried by the member 19 to engage in the opening 21. This finger has a part bent upon itself to engage over the recessed wall of the opening w1th..a part to lie mntigu'ous to the outer Surface of the plug member 19, and being formed with threaded sections 25 comp-lemental to the threads of said mem'ber for a purpose to be hereinafter described. A portion of the'finger in the opening is arranged to lie contiguous to one wall of the opening and has the end portion bent reversely upon itself, as shown 'at 26, to form a yielding portion to extend toward but spaced from the opposite wall of the opening. This portion 26 of the finger hasa longitudinal flute 27 extending from the bend to adjacent the extremity with a perforation 28 at the end of the flute. '(Fig. 7.) f

A terminal contactfinger 29 engages in the opening 20 and is so constructed and ar-.

ranged that a portion thereof will engage with one-wall of the opening and the end of the finger within the opening bent upon itself to form a yieldable portion 30 to extend toward but spaced from the opposite.

Wall of the opening. This portion 30 is provided with a longitudinal flute 31 and a perforation 32 at the end of the'flute (Fig. 6) similar'to the yieldable portion of the finger 24. The finger extends transversely oftheopening with apart to engage over the shoulder formed by the recess 23 and.

into the recess, and then bent to project from and beyond the block substantially c0- axially therewith as at 33 and the extremity bent upon itself, said bent portion being of less width than the remaining portion of the finger and thereby forming shoulders at opposite sides of the finger at the juncture of the bent over portion with the finger, as

clearly shown in F ig, 6. It will be noted that neither of thefingers 24, 29 are secured to the block 19, as by screws or the like.

The block or member 19 carries contacts to cooperate with the contacts of asocket.

These contacts are in the form of .a cap consisting of a, threaded metallic sleeve 36 to be screwed onto and encircle .the threaded periphery of the block 19. One end ofthe sleeve is embedded or molded in a band or annular member 37 of insulating material with the inner surface "of the 'band of concave form The sleeve carries at said end a'metallic disk or eyelet 38 having an opening'39 centrally thereof and coaxially of the sleeve, as by-embedding or moldlng a portion of the disk in the insulator member 37 The threads on the sleeve are 'complemental to. and adapted to' cooperate withthe v threaded shell of a socket, and the disk 38 to co'iiperate with the end contact of asocket. Y 1 7 As the sleeve is threaded onto the block 19 the bent extremity of the projection 83" of the finger 29 will engage with the concaved or beveled wall of the annular 1nsulator member 37 and be directed thereby into the central opening of ,the disk 38, and as said disk engages with the shoulders formed at opposite sides of the reduced exclalmz tremity of'the' finger 29 it will force and clamp the bent portion of the finger against the bottom of the recess 23 and thereby forcibly press the portion of the finger in -the opening 20 against the wall of the opemng.

' As the sleeve is seated on the block it will clamp the finger 29 rigidly to the block 19 with" the extremity of the projection 33. held in positive contact with the wall of the disk I in'the inember 19, these fingers being so arrangedthat they will engage in the spaces between the wall of the openin s and the yieldable portions 26, 30 of the ngers 24, 29, such spaces being slightly less in width than the thickness of the fingers 15, 16, and the yieldable portions of the fingers 24, 29 being so tensioned that the fingers 15,

16 may be pushed into the openings 20, 21 without arring'or exerting too great a strain upon a lamp .or' the like to which the socket is connected. As the fingers 15, 16 are inserted the finger nibs 17,18 will pass along the fluted portions 27, 31.'of 'the fingers 24,

29, andas the plug members'ab'ut such nibs will be inposition to engage in theperforations 28, 32at' the ends ofthe fluted portions, thereby locking the plug members to gether: It .will be obvious that by exerting a pull on the plug member 7 with a force which is predetermined in accordance with I the tension of the yieldable portions of the fingers 29 that the plug members 7, '19 willbe released.

knurled to facilitatethe-screwing of the plug member 1.9 into and out of a socket.

The plug member 7 may also be provided with an annular knurled portion '42 to provide a finger grip to facilitate the releasingof the plug members.

The construction of the plug shown in Fig. 8 is similar to the plug shown in Figs.

' 1 to 7 with the exception that the extremity of the finger projection 33 is threaded, as

shown at 43, to cooperate with internal screw threads formed on" the-wall ofthe -disk perforation! 39, and thereby as the Sleeve isthreaded onto the plug member 19 this threaded connection between the ex-' tremity of the finger projection 33 and the disk contact will operate to lock the sleeve onto the plug member.

Having thus described 'my invention, I

1. In an electric attachment plug, a base of insulating material having openings therethr0ugh; terminal contact members to engage in said openings; and'means mounted upon the base constituting an annular contact member and a contact carried at and insulated from one end of the annular contact to cooperate with the contacts of a V 100 The plug member 19 may have an annular flange-41 with the periphery of the flange 4 socket and arranged to-engage the base and secure the members engaging in the openings in the base to the base.

2. In an electric attachment plug, a cylindrical block of insulating material externally screw threaded 'and having openings extending longitudinally therethrough, a threaded metallic sleeve adapted to be screwed onto the block, a metallic disk car ried at the end of and insulated from the sleeve, and circuit terminal contact fingers to engage in the openings in the block and arranged to be firmly clamped to'the block by the sleeve and end contact carried thereby and in electrical contact therewith as the sleeve is screwed onto the block.

3. In an electric attachment plug, a cylin drical block of insulating material exter-' nally threaded and having a pair of open: ings extending therethrough, a threaded metallic sleeve adapted to be screwed onto the block, a metallic disk carried at the end of and insulated from the sleeve, said disk having a central perforation, a circuit terminal contact finger toengage in one of the block openings and having a part to extend beyond the end of the block to engage in the disk opening when the sleeve is screwed onto the block to hold the same in electrical contact with said disk and clamp the finger to the block, and a circuit terminal contact fin er to engagein the other block opening an having a part to lap over the wall of the opening to lie contiguous to the outer surface of the block to'be engaged by the sleeve as it is screwed onto the blockto hold the same in electrical contact with the sleeve and clamp the same to the block. 7

4. In an electric attachment plug, a block of insulating material externally threaded and having openings extending therethrou h; a threaded metallic sleeve carryin a per orated disk atone end and insula therefrom adapted to be screwed onto the block and 'to cooperate with the threaded shell contact and the disk with the end contact of a socket; a circuit contact terminal finger to engage in an opening in the block and having a part to project from the opening and engage in the disk perforation as the sleeve is screwed onto the block to clamp the finger to the block and hold the two in positive electrical contact; and a second circuit contact terminal finger to engage in the other opening in the block and having a part to lap over the side of the block to be engaged by the sleeve-as it is screwed onto the block to hold the two in electrical contact and clamp the finger to the block.

5. In an electric attachment plug, a block of insulating material externally threaded and an openin extending longitudinally therethrough with a recess in the lateral wall of said opening; a circuit terminal contact finger arranged with a part to extend ing and lie contiguous to the outer wall of the block; and a threaded metallic-sleeve.

adapted to be screwed onto the block to cooperate with the threaded shell of a socket and to engage in electrical contact with and clamp the contact finger to the block.

6. In an electric attachment plug, a block of insulating material externally threaded and having an opening extending longitudinall therethrough with a recess in one end of 't e block extending laterally from the opening; a circuit terminal contact finger to engage in the block opening, said finger having a part to engage over the shoulder formed by the recess 1n the end of the block and to extend be ond the end of the block; a threaded metal ic shell; a perforated disk at one end of and insulated from the shell; said shell being adapted to be screwed onto the block, and as the sleeve is applied to the block the extended end of the finger adapted to engage in the disk perforation to thereby clamp the fin er .to the block and maintain the disk and ger in positive electrical contact.

7. An electric attachment plug, comprising a pair of members of insulating material, one member carrying binding terminals having contact fingers extending therefrom, and the other member havin' perforations through the recess in the wall of the opentherethrough for the reception of the terminal contact fingers of the other member; terminal contact fingers to engage in the perforated member to engage in the perforations therein; a metallic sleeve mounted on the perforated member carrying a metallic disk at one end and insulated therefrom;

said sleeve and disk being arranged to be held in contact with the latter fingers and secure the fingers to the insulating member, and said fingers being arranged to cooperate with the contact terminal fingers of the other member as they are inserted in the perforations therein to lock the two members of the plug together.

9. Anelectric attachment plug, comprising a pair of members of insulating material, one member carrying binding terminals having contact fingers extending thereranged to clamp the fingers of the other from, and the other member having perforations for the reception of the contact ter- V minal fingers of the other member; terminal contact fingers carried by the perforated member to engage in the perforations therein; means mounted on the perforated member constituting contacts to cooperate with the contacts of a socketand arranged'to be held in contact with the fingers carried by the perforated member and secure said fingers to said member, and the portions of said fingers within the openings being aring a' metallic disk at one end and insulated therefrom contact-terminal fingers mounted on said member with the ends'to engage in theopenings, to be engaged by the sleeve and disk and held in contact therewith and secure the fingers to said member, and the ends of the fingers in the openings being provided with yielding portions; and a second lu member of insulating. material carrying bin ing terminals with fingers extending therefrom adapted to engage in the openings of the other plug member to contact and cooperate with the yielding endsof the fingers therein to secure the plug members together.

11. An electric attachment plug, comprising a member ofinsulating.material having openings therethrough; means mounted upon saidamember including an annular member and a disk member carried-at and. insulated;

from one end of the annular member to constitute contacts to cofiperate with th'econtacts of a socket; fingers mounted upon'the insulating member having a part to engage in the openings therein and with. which fingers the contact meansgmounted upon the insulating member engage to secure the fingers to the insulating member at second plug member of insulating material carrying binding terminals with fingers extending therefrom adapted to enter into the openings in the other plug member to contact with the ends of the fingers therein, and the fingers of both-plug members being arranged to cooperate to lock the plug members together and which areadapted to be moved to lQcking position and released by the application of a predetermined force.

In an electric attachment plug, a member of insulatingmaterial having openings therethrough, a metallic sleeve to en- ,circle said member carryinga metallic disk at the end and'insulated therefrom, and contact terminal fingers to engage in the openings in said member, said fingers and sleeve being arranged whereby as the sleeve is apv plied to the insulator member the sleeve and said member will cooperate to clamp the fingers rigidly to the insulator member with one finger 'in electrical contact with the sleeve and the other finger in contact with the' sleeve disk. J

13. In an electric attachment plug, a member of insulating material'having openings therethrough, a metallic sleeve to encircle said member carrying a metallic disk at the end and insulated therefrom, and contact terminal fingers to engage in the openings in said member, said fingers, member and sleeve being arranged whereby asfthe sleeve-is applied to the insulator memberthe sleeve and said member will cooperate to clamp the fingers rigidly to the insulator member with one finger in electrical contact with the sleeve and the other finger in contact with the sleeve disk.

WILLIAM'ILE'. 

